Hiroyuki Wada, a tree doctor at the Flower Association of Japan, speculated that unusual weather patterns could be responsible for the blooms' surprise appearance.

Himeji Castle in 2016 with beautiful full cherry blossom in spring seasonCredit:
RichieChan

He told public broadcaster NHK that violent storms had stripped trees of their leaves, which usually release a chemical that inhibits blooming before spring.

A series of unusually warm days after typhoons could also have confused the plants into flowering, he said.

"This has happened in the past, but I don't remember seeing something of this scale," he said.

Japan has been battered by a series of typhoons this year, including Jebi, which claimed 11 lives and shut down Kansai airport in September.

But Wada said the freak flowering should not affect the hugely popular cherry blossom season, which draws tourists from around the world and sees Japanese flock to hold 'hanami' picnics in the shade of the blooms.

"The buds that opened now won't blossom in the coming spring. But only a small number of them are being observed. I don't think it will affect cherry blossom viewing (next year)," he told NHK.